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Class 4A-I girls: Wamego holds off Mulvane, 51-40

Lanie Page scores 27 to lead Red Raiders

Wamego's Madeline Vontz tries to steal the ball from Rylee Simon of Mulvane in the first half of Wamego's 51-40 victory Wednesday in the quarterfinals of the Class 4A-division I state basketball championships in Salina.

Wamego's Caitlyn Claussen puts up a shot over KaSandra Melick and Destynee Donaldson of Mulvane in the first half of Wamego's victory Wednesday in the quarterfinals of the Class 4A-division I state basketball championships in Salina.

SALINA — Returning to the place where you won a state title a year ago is nice. Bringing an undefeated record with you is even better.

But Wamego’s girls may have discovered the magnitude of the target they carry in the Class 4A-Division I tournament in Wednesday’s 51-40 quarterfinal victory over Mulvane at the Bicentennial Center.

The Red Raiders (23-0) got 27 points from junior Lanie Page and never trailed after scoring the game’s first nine points. But No. 8 seed Mulvane didn’t go quietly in its first state appearance in 23 years.

“We got a lead, and then we got comfortable and kind of laid off,” Lanie Page said. “When they got closer, we played harder, which isn’t good. We need to play hard the whole time.”

“We wanted to win and we thought we had a chance,” said Mulvane coach Kendra Banzet, a senior standout on the Wildcats’ last team that made it to state. “We just needed that one more person to step up offensively.”

Wamego led 19-7 after the first quarter. But Mulvane chipped away and got within 27-22 on Burkhart’s 3-pointer before Lanie Page pushed the lead to seven with the final points of the half.

“We kind of broke up our own rhythm with subs a little bit,” Wamego coach Jim Page said. “That was kind of my fault. You’re hopefully going to play three games in three days, so you don’t want to show everything and go empty after the first game.”

Lanie Page made sure Mulvane’s upset hopes didn’t escalate. She scored seven consecutive points in the first two minutes of the third quarter to stretch Wamego’s lead to 36-22.

The Red Raiders, who shot 49 percent from the field and outrebounded Mulvane 36-26, led by as many as 17 points before Mulvane cut its deficit to 45-35 with 5:30 remaining.

Lanie Page made 10 of 15 shots, including both of her 3-point attempts. Her performance helped offset Wamego’s 18 turnovers.

“Unfortunately, we really needed that,” Jim Page said. “I was hoping we’d have more balanced scoring. I think for us to really move forward the next two games, we’re going to have to have more balanced scoring. That’s what we’re going to have to work on tomorrow, really making sure everyone gets into the flow of the offense.”

Kelsey Wolf added 12 points for Miege (20-3), which forced 25 turnovers. Abby Pedersen led McPherson (17-6) with 18 points. The Bullpups stayed close for 2½ quarters by making eight 3-pointers, but Miege used a 10-0 run to break a 33-33 tie and pulled away.

Masen Stamp added 13 points and Katie Kretchmar had 11 for Central (19-4), which is back at state for the first time since winning the 5A title in 2010. Tiana Moala scored 16 points and grabbed 18 rebounds for Paola (19-4).

KC PIPER 77, COFFEYVILLE 70: Haley White led four Piper players in double figures with 22 points and the Pirates shot 51 percent to earn a semifinal matchup with Wamego. Devin Cosper scored a game-high 26 for Coffeyville (18-5), which rallied several times after trailing 21-9 after the first quarter.